How Do I Get My Recliner Repaired?

Apr 4, 2003

Last year I bought a $430 Catnapper recliner. Within two months there were problems — it started to lean to one side and make strange popping sounds when I sat down. The furniture store where I made the purchase had closed, so I wrote the manufacturer — five times! — asking for a repairperson. Ten months later, I still haven't heard back. Can you get my chair fixed?

— Earlene Terrell, Grapeland, TX

Given the problems you describe, says a Catnapper spokesperson, your tipsy chair must have a faulty reclining mechanism — and the company will replace it for free. Why this wasn't resolved sooner isn't clear — Catnapper says it has no record of your five letters.

Repair rules: First, before accepting delivery of reclining furniture, check for manufacturing defects. Make sure the release controls work smoothly and that you don't feel hard spots under the cushioning — a sign the upholstery is not thick enough, say the GH Institute experts. If the chair breaks while it's still under warranty, check the fine print to see whom you should notify: the retailer (though that wasn't possible in this case) or the manufacturer. By law, the manufacturer's address or phone number must be included.
—Reshma Memon Yaqub

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